Rubio touts Christie in fundraising

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s PAC has sent an email to his supporters praising New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a “conservative leader” in the blue state where he’s running for reelection.

The pairing of Rubio and Christie is interesting for a few reasons, including that both are often mentioned as potential 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls. Christie has been hit by conservatives for appearing with Obama during the final week of the election after Hurricane Sandy, a move critics said unnecessarily undermined Mitt Romney.

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And Rubio — one of the party’s brighter young stars after he defeated then-Gov. Charlie Crist in the tea party wave of 2010 — has been dinged by some conservatives over his work on the immigration reform bill that recently cleared a Senate committee.

“Conservative leadership is hard to find these days, but the voters in New Jersey have seen it firsthand,” Rubio writes in the email from his Reclaim America PAC. “After living through 8 years of skyrocketing taxes, rampant job loss, and the largest budget deficit per person in the country, the people of New Jersey were desperate for real leadership and a new direction. And that’s what they got in Governor Chris Christie. As Governor, Chris Christie challenged New Jersey politics as usual. And his limited government and free enterprise reforms are helping turn around one of the bluest of blue states.”

The email ticks through Christie’s “pro-growth policies” and references his performance during Sandy. “As Governor, Chris Christie has spent the last 3 years fighting for the conservative principles of limited government, free enterprise and liberty, in a place that isn’t exactly used to them. And now he needs our help,” Rubio writes.

“Time is short. Liberal special interest groups have already spent millions of dollars in negative TV ads trying to defeat Governor Christie. And they’re just getting started,” the missive states. “Governor Christie has paved the way for limited government reform in New Jersey. Let’s do our part to make sure he has another four years to finish the job.”

The email seeks small-dollar donations.

Helping Christie could help Rubio with New York donors, who he has been courting aggressively. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) has urged donors not to give to Rubio and other Republicans who voted against the post-Sandy aid package.

Rubio’s PAC recently cut an ad for Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who has been criticized in her home state after voting against a gun-control bill Democrats sought to move through the Senate.